Thinking of buying a lantana at Home Depot? Trying to
grow good native lantanas to sell? Come to this program to learn the scoop
about cultivated lantanas and their impact on wild rare natives. Cultivated
lantanas have been extremely popular, inexpensive, showy plants promoted as
great butterfly plants. As early as the 1980s Roger Sanders showed that
cultivars hybridized with three rare Lantana depressa varieties in South Florida. He warned that this may lead to the extirpation of the species.

To answer the question of what impact cultivar-native hybridization
was having on rare populations, we returned to populations that have been
documented by Florida Natural Areas Inventory and collected stem cuttings to
propagate and grow under similar conditions in the Fairchild nurseries. We
examined both the morphology and genetic fingerprints of two of the rare
Lantana varieties. Variety depressa naturally grow in pine rocklands in Miami-Dade County and variety floridana grows in coastal strand habitats along the
eastern coast of South Florida. In this program you will learn about our
findings and the general impacts that lantana cultivars have had throughout the
world.

Since 2002, Dr. Joyce Maschinski has served as the
Conservation Ecologist leading the South Florida Conservation Program at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Her applied and theoretical research on rare
plants of South Florida focuses on understanding factors that limit or allow
the expansion of rare plant populations. In South Florida, she leads an
effort to encourage creating corridors of native plants in public spaces to
reduce extinction risk of our rarest native plants. Recently, she coordinated
the Center for Plant Conservation review of rare plant reintroductions and is
advocating a process for evaluating conservation choices in the face of climate
change.

Upcoming meetings:

March 22: "Splish-splash: A Look at South Florida's Aquatic and Wetland Plants" by Chuck McCartney.

April 26: Dr. Tom
Lodgewill discuss the 3rd edition of his book The Everglades
Handbook- Understanding the Ecosystem.

TILLANDSIA GOES ELECTRONIC

Pixels
or paper? Our New Year's
resolution is "going green" to conserve valuable resources. This
month, Tillandsia is being sent by both postal and email delivery to all
members.

Beginning
in March:

Everyone who has an email address on the membership roster will receive the Tillandsia via email.

Those members who receive the Sabal Minor (FNPS bi-monthly newsletter)
via postal mail will continue to receive the Tillandsia via postal
mail.

The
electronic Tillandsia will be available online each month as a pdf file
via a link sent to current chapter members. You can download and print
it (just like the paper Tillandsia!) or save it, or simply open and
view. The email will be sent early each month in which the newsletter
is published. (This link is not available to the general public -- just
for members!) The monthly pdf newsletter will remain on the website until
the next
newsletter is posted. (Archived
newsletters are still viewable in html format.)

If you
choose the postal delivery of Sabal Minor and also have an email
address on the membership roster, you will receive both print and
electronic Tillandsia. If you find that the electronic delivery
works for you, please consider switching to electronic only!
Hopefully, you will want to save the paper and postage expense and opt for the
electronic delivery of the Sabal Minor and Tillandsia.

Current
and archived Tillandsia are also available for viewing in html, as usual,
at http://dade.fnpschapters.org/newsletter.php. However, some details of events not open to the
public may be removed in this public version.

If you
experienced any problems receiving the electronic Tillandsia sent to you
in January or February (or in the future) or have questions, please let us know
by sending a message to dadefnps@gmail.com. If you need to talk to
someone, please leave a message at the chapter phone (786-340-7914).

To
add or change your email address or change your delivery preference for Sabal
Minor (and Tillandsia),
please contact FNPS at info@fnps.org or call (321) 271-6702. Updates
will be reflected in the monthly membership roster sent to the chapter at the
end of each month. It may take up to 6 weeks or so for changes to be reflected
in our records.

UPCOMING FIELD TRIP

If the weather is very bad, please call to confirm.
Field trips are for the study of plants and enjoyment of nature by FNPS members
and guests. Collecting is not permitted. Children are welcome. For carpooling,
call Patty Phares (305-255-6404).

Time, address and directions are in the print newsletter mailed to members. Please join to enjoy all the activities of the chapter!

This
trail, opened in about 2004, runs along an old tramway through short
hydroperiod marsh, dwarf cypress and cypress dome habitat. On our visit in
February 2007, tillandsias were in full color in great abundance, as were quite
a few wildflower species. We will walk some of this trail and eat lunch, and depending
on the conditions, visit hydric pineland and other habitats nearby along Loop Road.

Difficulty: Moderate - on trails but rocky,
uneven, possibly muddy or a bit wet -- we won't know until we get there. We
will avoid real wading. A walking stick can be helpful!

Bring/wear: Wear sturdy closed shoes that
can get muddy and long pants. Carry water and snacks. Bring lunch if you care
to picnic with the group.

NATIVE PLANT DAY − MAKE IT THE BEST ONE EVER!

Native Plant Day will be held on March 12, 2011, at Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park in the City of North Miami. Our annual
public outreach and education day will have activities for all ages: walks,
programs, plants for sale, and more! Bring your family and friends to
enjoy this free day of fun and learning with us! Our program will be
available on the chapter website as we get closer to the event.

As a chapter member, we hope that you'll help us make the
day a big success!

February 20th: Can you give an hour or so
of your time placing address labels on the postcards that we mail out? We'll
be meeting at the Coral Gables Congregational Church (3010 De Soto Boulevard) at 2 p.m.. Contact Amy if you're able to give
your time or for more information.

Help distribute stacks of postcards. Pick some up anytime after the 20th and place them at your grocery store,
doctor's office, library, or other well-trafficked area (with permission,
of course!). Contact Amy or pick some up at the February meeting at Pinecrest Gardens.

Help set up on March 11th. We need
about a half-dozen people to help us prepare the day before NPD. Setting
up the raffle and other stations, as well as moving tables and hanging signs
are easy yet essential things you could help us with Friday afternoon.
Contact Amy if you can help.

Raffle Donation and Plant Sale donations: We sell plants (in addition to our usual merchandise selection) to
raise funds for the chapter at Native Plant Day. We also hold a raffle of
some of the best and most rare plant specimens and gardening items you'll find.
Please start grooming your plants now to prepare! Contact Amy if
you need to drop them off in advance of the event or so we can prepare for the
selection you'll bring.

Help at Native Plant Day! On
March 12th we will need about 40 volunteers to make the event happen. If
you can give us part of your morning or afternoon, you'll still have plenty of
time to enjoy the event! Please contact Gita if you, your family members,
or a group of young people you know might be able to give us some of your time.

CHAPTER NEWS

Native plant photos needed. If you have a
digital camera and a few minutes of time in your own yard, you can help!
The Chapter is seeking photos for a few projects. We would like close ups of flowers (with or without wildlife) and
growth habit, whole plants and landscapes. High resolution photos are
desired, but any help from you would be a great start! Next time you walk
around your yard or favorite natural area, please take your digital camera with
you. Email photos to dadefnps@gmail.com. Photo
credit will be given in the upcoming projects.

Keys Branch News. At the present time there are no activities
scheduled for the 2010-2011 season. If you would like to help
get the Keys Branch going again, please contact Ted Shaffer, the Chapter
President, at tedshaffer@bellsouth.net.

Welcome to new members! Andro Garcia-Lee, Susan
Shapiro, John Stevens

Thanks to the newsletter production staff! As we
cease the mass mailing of print newsletters, we must express our deepest
appreciation to Gwladys Scott and Jan Kolb, who have been the backbone
of the newsletter folding team for many years, and to Hal Peters, who
produced newsletter labels since 1986. Believe it or not, Gwladys may have
folded over 20000 newsletters in 20-plus years. Folding and mailing will
continue on a greatly reduced scale, giving Gwlady's fingers a well-deserved
rest.

Science Fair Awards. Unfortunately, there were no
projects this year that met the criteria for the George Avery Award for South
Florida Science and Engineering Fair Projects. - Gita Ramsay

FNPS NEWS

FNPS Handbook. Are you curious about how FNPS and its
chapters are structured and how they should operate? View the updated
"FNPS Handbook Wiki" is now available for chapters to utilize and
comment on at http://fnpshandbook.wikispaces.com.

The Sabal Minor is delivered by email unless members
request otherwise. There is a preference "flag" in each member's
record to record email or postal delivery of Sabal Minor. Each paper
issue costs around $4.50 per member, so the savings really add up. We plan to
offer these options to Palmetto readers in the future, and also
incorporate a chapter newsletter communication preference flag, to help
chapters who want to maintain email/postal mail lists for member newsletters.

Conference registration is open for "Patios,
Preserves and Public Spaces … Making Connections"

The Central Florida Chapters (Cuplet Fern, Lake Beautyberry, Pine Lily and Tarflower) are planning another smash hit annual conference
this on May 19-22 in Maitland. Register now to get your pick of field trips and
save $25. Visit www.fnps.org/conference for registration, full schedule, field trip descriptions, social events and
sponsor information. Contact FNPS at 321-271-6702 or info@fnps.org for
assistance.

New this year:

Offset your carbon footprint created by
attending the FNPS Conference by checking the $5 Carbon Footprint Offset
Program donation on the conference registration form. FNPS will donate these
funds to Oakland Nature Preserve, Inc., a 501(c)3, to support tree planting for
sandhill restoration on the 128- acre preserve located south of Lake Apopka in Central Florida.

Applications for the FNPS Landscape Awards are due on March 18, 2011. Submit a landscape or restoration in your own yard, school,
business, municipality or elsewhere, or suggest it to others. It's not just
for FNPS members!

FNPS Palmetto Awards

Do you know someone who deserves an award for service to
FNPS, education on Florida native plants or contributions to the science of Florida native plants? If so, let your chapter representative know before February 10, 2011.

Endowment Grant Awards for funding research on
native plants.

These small grants (typically $2500 or less), awarded for a
1-year period, are intended to support research that forwards the mission of FNPS
"to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native
plants and native plant communities of Florida." Application deadline is March 4, 2011.

CHAPTER PROJECT AT EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

In the fall of 2000, Ranger Alan Scott of Everglades National Park approached Chapter President Carrie Cleland to ask the Dade Chapter to
engage in a project to enhance the landscaping around the Coe Visitors Center. There was a great need for the plantings not only to look nicer but to more
accurately recreate native habitat. We agreed to try, and the first workday
was held on January 20, 2001, with 40 volunteers from age 4 to 83. Ten years
and over 60 workdays later, the area planted and maintained by the chapter actually
looks a lot like a little slice of Everglades!

Gita Ramsay, a chapter member who has helped at workdays
(along with her husband) expressed her kudos at our last meeting: "I want
to let everyone know that the work we have done at the Coe Visitor Center is noticed by other people and appreciated. My husband's
grandmother was here during the Christmas break, and we took her to the Everglades. At the Visitors Center she remarked on how nice the landscaping was,
and I was proud to be able to say that was due to our Chapter's effort."

Stan Boynton of the Everglades Foundation (and also a DCFNPS
member) takes groups of local leaders in business, industry and government on
tours of the Everglades. He says, "I have found it useful to take the guests
on a short tour of the native plants at the Visitor Center and talk about the
importance of native species in the South Florida habitat. It is clear from
their reactions that this experience is an eye-opener and that many of them
have not given much thought to the plant life that surrounds them and the
difference between native and exotic species. Since these visitors are
prominent people in South Florida, it is likely that the learning experience
will do more than simply shape their concept of what their front yards should
look like."

Congratulations and thanks to the dozens of volunteers --
chapter members and friends -- who made this happen and who continue to show up
every other month to tend the plantings. We would like to have more of you
join us! The next workday is on April 2. (Details in the next Tillandsia.)

OTHER
NEWS OF INTEREST

Dade Native Plant Workshop. MDC Kendall campus Landscape Technology Center. 3rd Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Contact Steve, smwood@bellsouth.net.
786-488-3101; see http://nativeplantworkshop.ning.com.
Bring at least three plants (especially flowering/fruiting), even if they do
not pertain to the topic. Beginners and old hands welcome!

Feb. 15: Mangroves and the
plant families to which they belong (Rhizophoraceae, Avicenniaceae, and
Combretaceae).

Florida Rare Plant Task ForceMeeting at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, March 31 - April 1, 2011. This year's meeting features "Preserving Rare Plant Diversity on Public Lands." Registration and meeting agenda are available online at http://www.fairchildgarden.org/Events/EventId/545

Seeds available. DCFNPS member Raul Moas has seeds to share with anyone
interested. There are lots of coontie (Zamia integrifolia)
seeds, as well as seeds of the endangered shrub crenulate leadplant (Amorpha
herbacea var. crenulata) and the pineland
wildflower pine hyacinth (Clematis baldwinii). Please contact him at rmoas63675@aol.com.

HAMMOCK SHRUBVERBENA –
STILL GOING STRONG WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME FRIENDS

By Jennifer Possley
and Joyce Maschinski

At the February meeting, guest speaker Joyce Maschinski from
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will speak about her work with Lantana hybridization in Florida. As some DCFNPS members may remember, Fairchild has
worked with more than one rare Lantana species over the years. In 2005
and 2007, several DCFNPS members and Boy Scouts assisted with an outplanting of
"hammock shrubverbena," a.k.a Lantana canescens, in Miami’s Camp Owaissa
Bauer and Castellow Hammock Parks.

Photo by Jennifer Possley

Lantana canescens is native to Miami-Dade County, the southern tip of Texas, the tropical Americas, and the West Indies. In Florida it is an extremely rare plant listed as endangered by the state of Florida. It is native to the ecotone between pine rockland and rockland hammocks. Today
in Miami-Dade County this type of ecotone is very scarce due to a combination
of fragmentation and fire suppression. Florida’s last known remaining wild
population of L. canescens was located at Camp Owaissa Bauer. While
Fairchild’s 2003 census showed 44 plants, since then its numbers have
plummeted. A December 2010 survey by Fairchild and County biologists failed to
locate any living wild plants. Lantana canescens may now be extirpated
from its last known wild populations.

Yet thanks to some quick actions, Fairchild, Miami-Dade County and DCFNPS have ensured it will remain in Miami-Dade County for years to come. Through our experimental outplantings, we have learned that Lantana
canescens is typically a short-lived perennial (most individuals in our
study did not live more than 5 years), but it re-seeds itself prolifically. In
fact, while our total number of outplants was only 370, today there are
thousands of progeny from these original plantings; most of these are at
Camp Owaissa Bauer. Special thanks to DCFNPS members for their help with this
project, including Daniel Wheeler, Libby Mahaffey, Lauren McFarland, Patty Phares,
Mary Rose, Lynka Woodbury and Steve Woodmansee.

By the way—Lantana canescens also still flourishes
in many of Miami’s private yards and in nursery stock. If you are
interested in owning one of these plants for yourself (it is an excellent
butterfly attractant!), check with native nurseries.

"Lantana canescens, or hammock shrubverbena, is
an unassuming native shrub that you will not encounter on field trips … this Florida endangered plant is extremely rare! Seldom surpassing 6 ft tall, Lantana
canescens has clusters of white flowers similar to those of Lantana
involucrata (wild sage). However, Roger Hammer notes that L.
involucrata flowers are often violet-tinged. Another difference from L.
involucrata is that Lantana canescens is our only native lantana
that does not produce clusters of purple or blue berries; instead it has
fruiting heads that look like tiny green artichokes bearing papery brown
'nutlets' between green bracts. The nutlets are easily shaken out by the wind."

HARVESTING AND STORING SEEDS

by Steven W.
Woodmansee, Pro Native Consulting

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges to growing new native
plant species is obtaining seeds and germplasm for them. Germplasm is a term
used to describe any plant material used in propagation. It could be seeds,
cuttings, air layers or tissue (root or otherwise). The plant nursery industry
often prefers cuttings or tissue culture as they present the easiest or cheapest
way to mass produce plants, as well as preserve certain plant character­istics.
Seeds are generally the preferred method ecologically, as each seed will
present a unique set of genetic material thereby assuring genetic diversity
within a species and preventing things like artificial genetic drift (i.e.,
plants will no longer be selected for survivability), disease susceptibility,
inbreeding, etc.

Not all plants are the same when it comes to harvesting,
storing, and germinating seed or fruit. First things first, when harvesting
wet or pulpy fruit, in general it is best to clean remove the flesh and have
clean seeds. If you don’t have time to clean the fruit right away, store it in
a lidless bucket with some water for less than 24 hours. If you need more time,
place them on some netting in the sun so that the flesh may dry out. It is
okay if ants eat the flesh off the fruits for you. Then you can soak the fruit
in a bucket for 24 hours or less and clean them. You may need to cover the
bucket or netting to prevent the birds from eating all your harvest. For
plants with very small seeds (e.g., corkystem passionflower, ficus spp., or
tetrazygia), you can crush the fruits on newspaper and let the pulp dry out
over the afternoon. Once dry, it is not necessary to painstakingly separate
the seed from the dried pulp before storing the seeds. For plants with seed in
a fruit which is a capsule that opens up, collect the fruits and place them in
a paper bag in a cool dry place, under an air conditioning vent, or even in the
sun. The capsules will pop open and eject the seeds, so it is important to
keep the bag tightly closed. For some plants, such as many wildflowers, it is
unnecessary to clean seeds before storing.

Once seeds are clean, store them in paper bags, paper
envelopes, glassine envelopes (like the ones from the Post Office), or if they
are in a closed jar or can, be sure to ventilate it at the top by making a hole
in the lid. Store all seed containers in a cool dry place that is well
ventilated. Heat, especially moist heat, is the biggest threat to seed
storage. Although there may be some exceptions such as cold storage, seeds
should never be kept in sealed containers or plastic bags of any sort or they
may develop fungal issues and rot. For some species, the older the seed, the
less likely it will germinate.

Below are some other tips on seed storing:

Temperate plant species generally have seeds that
store well over time, and they may need a period of cold in order to germinate
(e.g., Dahoon holly, oaks, blueberries).

Tropical plant species from moist habitats (such
as hardwood hammocks) and palms generally do not have seeds that store well
over time (e.g., Lignum vitae, capers, strongbacks).

Large seeds, wildflower seeds and legume seeds
(members of the pea family) may often store for many years (e.g., Jamaican
dogwood, milk peas, skyblue clustervine, tickseed).

FNPS members John Lawson of Silent Native Nursery and Rob
Campbell of Signature Palms contributed to this article.

NATIVE PLANT DAYSaturday, March 12, 2011, 9 am - 4 pm

The Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park1725 NE 135th Street North Miami, FL 33161FREE!Co-sponsored byThe Dade Chapter FNPS and
the City of North Miami.

Programs, nature walks, hands-on activities, plant sales, raffles!

An official event of Dade Heritage Days, a celebration of Miami-Dade's historic places. Details upcoming in the March newsletter.

DON'T FORGET!

Starting in March, most member will receive Tillandsia only by email. Be sure to watch your email during the first week of each month!